ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the intentions, events, and consequences of police reform undertaken by the United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). It argues that international efforts to build peace in BiH have unintentionally institutionalised ethnic factions in the country, which in turn have jeopardised peacebuilding efforts. The chapter explores the spectrum of unintended consequences of the failed police reform in BiH. Police forces became part of the organised crime and corruption networks in BiH, which undermined institution-building, economic development, and human security. Local police forces played a direct role in undermining peacebuilding in BiH by instigating inter-ethnic fear and provocation, delaying refugee return, and failing to protect human rights. The decentralised figuration of the police sector in BiH delayed the identification and prosecution of war crimes suspects throughout the country and obstructed inter-ethnic reconciliation. An aspect of police reform included capacity-building and training for all certified police.
